The new online guide Addressing the Sale of Counterfeits on the Internet, published by the International Trademark Association (INTA), offers hands-on recommendations to fight against counterfeiting on the Internet. For this, the free English guide provides best practices, directed at experts e.g. from brand owners, online marketplaces, and social media platforms – written against the backdrop of a continuous trend towards shopping online, especially during the global coronavirus pandemic, and a proliferation of counterfeits on the web, according to INTA.
The guide starts by highlighting the current situation of anti-counterfeiting on the Web and explains key factors that facilitate online trade in counterfeit goods. According to that, the anonymity of the Internet allows counterfeiters to deceive potential buyers into believing that they are buying genuine products. This could happen to consumers as well as retailers and distributors. The guide also considers the question of who should take responsibility in the fight against such illegal online trade: “Discussion continues about who is responsible for curbing the dangerous explosion in online counterfeiting. It’s simple – we all are“, explains INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo. That is why the guide provided recommendations that are specifically adapted to this issue.
The second section of the guide presents specific best practices, which stakeholders can use in the fight against counterfeiting. For example, social media networks could explicitly prohibit the sale of fakes in their terms, according to INTA. Also, online marketplaces could actively enhance brand protection by strengthening procedures for identifying repeat offenders and by taking more effective action against them. Next to that, INTA recommends that brand owners continuously raise their stakeholders’ awareness of counterfeiting.
The guide provides further recommendations for search engines, payment operators, and logistics companies, among others.
